A judge takes aim at ‘voluntary’ company wellness programs

The dark downside is that “voluntary” wellness programs give employers a window into their workers’ health profiles that is otherwise an illegal invasion of their privacy.

That’s the aspect that bothered Federal Judge John D. Bates of Washington, D.C., just before Christmas, when he overturned a federal rule that arguably permitted employers to coerce their workers into giving up private medical information that could be used to discriminate against them. The rule will be nullified as of Jan. 1, 2019, unless the government comes up with a better version before then.